Planar polishing fixtures hold workpieces during polishing operations. Such workpieces can be configured to hold a single or multiple optical fibers.
Before the optical fibers are connected, they are typically treated, e.g., polished, for a better optical connection. A planar polishing fixture can be used in conjunction with a polisher or lapper to treat the end faces of the optical fibers.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional planar polishing fixture 10 in which a workpiece 12, or connector, can be secured. The workpiece 12 holds, or “terminates,” one or more optical fibers 14. The planar polishing fixture 10 includes a base 16 and a clamp 18, both of which are sized according to the size of the workpiece 12. A screw 20 secures the clamp 18 to the base 16 thereby securing the workpiece 12 within the planar polishing fixture 10.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the planar polishing fixture 10 of FIG. 1. For ease of illustration, the clamp is not shown in FIG. 2.
In operation, the workpiece 12 is inserted into the planar polishing fixture 10. Then a polisher (not shown) polishes the end faces of the optical fibers 14. The lengths of the optical fibers 14 should comply with geometric and surface requirements so that when the workpiece 12 mates with another connector, all of the ends of the corresponding optical fibers make contact with minimal optical loss. When the lengths do not meet geometric and surface requirements, however, optical losses are incurred.
A problem with the conventional planar polishing fixture 10 is that it does not reliably enable the optical fibers to be polished such that geometric and surface requirements are met. The optical fiber end faces might appear to be properly polished while in the planar polishing fixture 10, but the optical fiber end faces do not meet geometric and surface requirements when taken out of the planar polishing fixture 10. As a result, not all of the optical fibers 14 will make contact with their corresponding optical fibers end faces when the workpiece 12 mates with another connector.
One cause of this problem is that the workpiece 12 can be out of tolerance. That is, the workpiece 12 can have irregularities on its surface. For example, the workpiece 12 can become deformed by the clamping force. In addition, any irregularities in the workpiece 12 can cause it to be inadequately supported by the planar polishing fixture 10. As a result, the workpiece 12 can distort within the planar polishing fixture 10, thereby causing the optical fibers 14 to not meet geometric and surface requirements. Precision in fiber optic processes is critical because optical fiber core diameters are so small. For example, the core of a single optical fiber is about 8.3 microns in diameter. Accordingly, a small mismatch in an optical fiber is problematic.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method and system for reliably securing a connector during a polishing operation. The system and method should be able to secure a connector during a polishing procedure so that any optical fibers being held by the connector are polished so that the optical fiber end faces meet geometric and surface requirements. The present invention addresses such a need.